A Great way To Exercise
A pool is a great place for a person to get a workout at. It uses the entire body. There are lots of great work outs that will help a person flatten their stomach that involve the swimming area. Ab workouts in the water can also be a tool in cross training. Athletes have found that they are able to do things in pools when they are recuperating from injuries because they do not stress their bodies at much by exercising in water.
Not everything must be done laying out.
You can stand up while exercising. A person will stress their bones a lot less while they are in the water and can get just as effective in the water if they try. To maintain that upright position, the abdominal muscles must be used in a focused and stable position that requires a great deal of abdominal stability. If you are not that good at swimming there are devices that can help you stay afloat even if you can not touch the bottom. Moving or running through the water will offer much more resistance. The hard part to remember is to stay upright. Do not let your body float in the water as this takes away from the effectiveness of your workout.
Abdominal workouts involve more than just the traditional six pack ab exercise program, so in that vertical position you can also work the transverse abdominis or TVA muscle and when the TVA pulls the abdominal wall inward, forces expiration and is one of the muscles that keeps the abdominals flat. A person might not notice what this is doing, but it is important to a strong midsection.
While vertical in the pool, lift the legs up in a bent knee position. Alternating lifted knees is less challenging than lifting both knees at the same time. This will engage all of the core muscles and it is quite challenging to move only the lower body without moving the upper body.
Do some laps
People on message boards such as the biggest loser weight loss forum talk about how swimming always works those abs because a swimmer cannot stay on the surface if the ab muscles are not engaged so while you are swimming, think about keeping the abs engaged at all times, and when swimming in a prone position, such as freestyle or butterfly, think about lifting the belly button towards the back, or pressing it downward. Your body will be in a better position to move through the water faster. This workout is great for your abs. In order for a person to move through the water they need to use all of their muscles. Every time a swimmer reaches with their arm the body turns. In order for a person to keep their body moving they need to use their stomach to balance themselves.
When you get out of the water
Once you are done with the work out in the water, it is time to do some more out of the water. Get out of the water and do some other things that will help build your core. These will stabilize all of the abdominal and back muscles. Get down on elbows and toes and balance in a plank position. The body is as flat as possible, without the rear end up in the air. From this position your can twist your body back and forth.
All exercise programs should include a proper diet and swimming is no different so a person should make sure that they are taking in enough calories and that they do not try to lose weight fasting as they are working out if they really want to get a flat stomach and a perfect set of abs.
Filed under Personal Life Coaching by on Oct 31st, 2010.
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